Black Butler, Reborn
by Nightweaver Butler
Summary: If things had only gone as Sebastian intended and he was able to eat Ciel Phantomhive's soul, he could have gone about his demonic business until the next time somebody wished to form a contract with him. The next contract he makes is a special one indeed. Sebastian once again finds himself a butler, a faithful servant to the high and mighty Lady Elnora of the Nightweaver family.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

Elnora Nightweaver was lost. Completely and hopelessly lost. She had not so much lost her way as she'd never had one. She'd simply closed her eyes and upon opening them again found herself here. Wherever _here_ was.

_Here_ had no sound, no smell, no taste, and nothing nearby that she could see or touch. She couldn't be sure if she was standing, sitting, kneeling, or lying down, as she could feel nothing solid on any part of her body._ Here_ was completely dark. _Here _was darker than any moonless night she had ever seen. Had Elnora been able to move, she wouldn't have seen her hand in front of her face.

Like many people, especially those that are five years old, Elnora was afraid of the dark. And like many people would in this situation, especially those that are five years old, she began to cry. It was the only sound _here_.

Elnora almost didn't notice when another voice joined her own.

"Young Mistress," it said.

_It's only my imagination_, she thought to herself. _No one is _here_. No one is going to rescue me now._"

"Young Mistress." The voice was low, as deep and smooth as velvet. It sounded almost impatient, as if it wanted her attention because it was bored with watching her weep.

"Who's there?" she called out. "Who are you?"

"I ," proclaimed the voice, "am your faithful servant."

"Servant? But why?"

"Someone has wished for it. I am now contractually bound to protect you, even at the cost of my own life. I am bound to follow your orders, no matter what they may be. Those are the conditions of the contract."

"If that's true, then please help me! I'm all alone in this awful place!"

"That is not so. You are never alone. As long as the contract is withstanding, I shall always remain by the side of my mistress. As long as the contract is withstanding, you are never alone."


	2. Chapter 2

Prologue

Elnora Nightweaver was lost. Completely and hopelessly lost. She had not so much lost her way as she'd never had one. She'd simply closed her eyes and upon opening them again found herself here. Wherever _here_ was.

_Here_ had no sound, no smell, no taste, and nothing nearby that she could see or touch. She couldn't be sure if she was standing, sitting, kneeling, or lying down, as she could feel nothing solid on any part of her body._ Here_ was completely dark. _Here _was darker than any moonless night she had ever seen. Had Elnora been able to move, she wouldn't have seen her hand in front of her face.

Like many people, especially those that are five years old, Elnora was afraid of the dark. And like many people would in this situation, especially those that are five years old, she began to cry. It was the only sound _here_.

Elnora almost didn't notice when another voice joined her own.

"Young Mistress," it said.

_It's only my imagination_, she thought to herself. _No one is _here_. No one is going to rescue me now._"

"Young Mistress." The voice was low, as deep and smooth as velvet. It sounded almost impatient, as if it wanted her attention because it was bored with watching her weep.

"Who's there?" she called out. "Who are you?"

"I ," proclaimed the voice, "am your faithful servant."

"Servant? But why?"

"Someone has wished for it. I am now contractually bound to protect you, even at the cost of my own life. I am bound to follow your orders, no matter what they may be. Those are the conditions of the contract."

"If that's true, then please help me! I'm all alone in this awful place!"

"That is not so. You are never alone. As long as the contract is withstanding, I shall always remain by the side of my mistress. As long as the contract is withstanding, you are never alone."

Chapter 1: Her Butler, Essential

Nearly 5 years had passed since Elnora had woken to find herself in that dark place, but Nightweaver Manor had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same sprawling front garden and lit up the brass lion's head-shaped knocker on the front door. It crept into the parlor, which looked almost exactly the same as it had when the Nightweaver family had spent their evenings there. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. 5 years ago, they had shown a married couple with a handsome young boy and a bright-eyed little girl-but Elnora Nightweaver was not that girl anymore. They now showed a rather empty-eyed girl being serviced by the staff of the mansion. However, this room held no sign of the manor's most indispensable resident.

At this time of day, eight a.m. precisely, he could be found pouring his mistress her cup of morning tea.

"Are we having any company today, Sebastian?" she asked, sipping her tea.

"Yes, my lady," replied the black-clad butler. "Master Silas will be paying us a visit."

"Will he, now? All right. Sebastian, is this tea Earl Grey?"

"It is, my lady."

"I don't like it."

"Understood, my lady. I'll have Nanny bring in a new cup with her."

The elegant butler exited Elnora's room, black coattails trailing behind him. Elnora flopped facedown onto the bed and groaned uncharacteristically. She was most definitely not looking forward to a visit from her fiancé, Silas Hughes. As is to be expected in an arranged marriage, she did not particularly care for him. It had been that way ever since she'd caught him plucking feathers from her canary when they were six.

At that moment, Nanny came bustling in with a fresh cup of tea, tea that wasn't Earl Grey. Nanny was a plump, elderly nursemaid who did only the things that Sebastian wasn't allowed to do. Her hearing was poor, and she was kept in service mainly because no one had the heart to turn her out.

Nanny helped Elnora out of her nightgown and into the dress she would wear that day. "So many buttons!" Nanny said, or rather shouted. "You're so young, too. Heaven help me when you start wearing a corset." She finished doing up the long row of buttons up the back of the dress and fastened the clasp of Elnora's necklace around her neck.

The necklace was a choker : a wide band of sterling silver set with a large, round emerald in the center. The emerald was exceedingly shiny. It glittered and glowed with an unusual radiance, even when the spring sunlight did not reflect on it. Elnora smiled at its reflection. She'd never polished it once.

_Master Silas will arrive just after four_, Sebastian thought, checking his pocket watch as he made his way down the grand front staircase of the manor. _There is breakfast to be served, rooms to be straightened and cleaned, the gardeners to direct in today's tasks..._ His thoughts continued much this way, calculating and estimating how much time he would have to prepare for tea this afternoon. A visit from his young mistress's fiancé was always a rather taxing experience. Not only this, but there were also...

"Sebastian, come quick! It's-"

"-Howard again! In the kitchen!"

...These buffoons to contend with. May and April, the maids, came dashing up the steps toward him. They were identical twins, and Sebastian could not remember a time when they had not been side by side or finished a sentence independently of each other. Even he found it a bit difficult to tell them apart.

"Now, now," Sebastian said, unruffled. "Explain what happened, calmly, if you don't mind."

"Howard was in the kitchen. He took a pan of muffins-" explained May, or was it April?

"-Out of the oven. But he didn't have an oven mitt-" explained April, or was it May?

"-He dropped the pan and-". Ditto.

"-There's a dreadful mess-". Ditto again.

The twins led him downstairs into the kitchen, where Howard was mourning over the ruined muffins. There was indeed a dreadful mess, as well as a searing red burn across his hand from where he'd touched the hot pan.

"I'm so sorry, Sebastian!" Howard wailed. "Please don't boot me out!" Howard was a pale, anxious young man who had served as the butler before Sebastian's arrival . Like Nanny, he was kept in service because Elnora did not have the heart to fire him. As it were, Sebastian did most of the cooking.

"_I _will take care of breakfast preparations this morning," Sebastian said. "See that you clean up this mess."

"Thank you, Sebastian!" Howard cried. "I promise I won't do it again!" Sebastian knew that he most certainly would, but until his mistress permitted him to turn Howard out, he would continue to do his job for him. _Is that not how it always happens?_ he thought. _Am I not the only one who gets things done in this house? In any case, the Young Mistress much prefers my cooking over his._

"Your tea is served, Young Mistress, Master Silas."

"Thank you, Sebastian," Elnora said politely. Silas harrumphed by means of thanks. They were joined at tea in the drawing room by Charles Wallace, a sleek black cat with yellow eyes that glowed like twin moons. Charles did not care for Silas any more than his owner did. Ever since Silas had been banned from the canary's presence, he'd taken to pricking Charles Wallace with pins. He remained curled protectively around Elnora's feet, watching Silas's every move.

"You know, Elly," Silas said innocently enough. "I find that butler of yours to be rather creepy."

"Really?" she asked, wincing at the nickname she hated hearing him say. "How so?"

"Well, for one thing, look at how prim and proper he is. There's absolutely nothing out of place. He acts so perfectly, it's just too uncanny to be normal. Also, his facial expression is scary. It's always that same creepy smirk. Those eyes are such an unnatural red color, almost like blood. It's simply spine-chilling, Elly."

Sebastian stood by, offering no defense. Elnora, who rather liked Sebastian's devious smirk and crimson eyes, felt a tight ball of anger building in her chest. Silas continued to list her butler's creepy qualities. Still, there was not a single word from him.

Elnora had had enough. She smacked the tea cup down in its saucer, spilling a bit of tea over the rim. Charles Wallace started at the sudden noise. She gave a Silas a sweet smile, trying not to betray her annoyance. "There's nothing to worry about," she assured Silas in her most sugary voice. "You see, Sebastian is simply-"

He finished the sentence for her: "One hell of a butler."

When tea was finished, Silas got up from the table an made his way toward the door, not even waiting for Elnora. He left the drawing room, and Elnora took this as an opportunity to speak to her butler.

"Sebastian," she whispered, as he began loading the dirty dishes onto a tray.

"What is it, Young Mistress?" In accordance to Elnora, he also whispered, thought this was hardly necessary.

"I think we should have some fun with Silas today, don't you?"

Sebastian's eyes glinted like bright rubies. "I do. What did you have in mind, Young Mistress?"

"Elly!" Silas called from the doorway. "Aren't you coming?"

Before leaving the drawing room, Elnora hastily relayed her plan to Sebastian, finishing it with "And make sure that nobody else finds out about this. We don't want to spoil the surprise."


End file.
